London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Fulham 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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49
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD
There are no offensive trades, slaughterhouses or licensed slaughtermen in the Borough.
EXAMINATION OF FOOD AND SEIZURE OF UNSOUND FOOD
Certain articles of food which are liable to be adulterated are controlled by
sampling and chemical analysis by the Public Analyst, but foods which deteriorate in
quality, and become unfit for human consumption are supervised by inspection and can be
seized with subsequent condemnation by a Justice of the Peace and destruction.
Voluntary Surrender of Food
In practice, shopkeepers rarely attempt knowingly to sell to the public any foodstuff
which is unfit for human consumption and it is customary for retailers who find
food they have purchased from wholesalers to be unsound at the time they receive it or to
have become unfit after storage on their premises to notify the local authority, and
request an inspection by the district public health inspector who, if satisfied after
examination that the food is unfit, issues a certificate to that effect and arranges for
its removal to, and destruction at the Council's Refuse Destructor.
The surrender of foodstuffs from various depots and food premises during the year involved the examination and destruction of the following articles and the issue of 947 certificates:-
| Tinned goods | 12. 449 |
| Fish | 36 stone |
| Meat | 2,473 lbs. |
| Chicken | 578 lbs. |
| Kidney | 38 lbs. |
| Cheese and cheese spread | 71 lbs. |
| Dates | 1 lb. |
| Milk Powder | 231 lbs. |
| Soup Powder | 4 lbs. |
| Walnuts | 95 lbs. |
| Chocolate | 17 bars |
| Honey | 1 lb. |
SALE OF MILK REGULATIONS, 1939
The above Regulations state that where a sample of milk contains less than 3% of
milk fat or less than 8.5% of solids not fat, until the contrary is proved, the sample
shall be deemed to be not genuine. The following table sets out the monthly statement
of the number of samples taken, together with the percentage of fat and non-fatty solids
present:-
No. of Average %
MArch Samples fat Non-fatty solids
January 7 3.61 8.63
February 3 3.58 8 59
March -
April -
May 4 3.41 8.74
June 4 3.73 8.79
July
August 3 3.57 8.62
September 3 3.67 8.70
October 6 3.68 8.77
November 2 3.68 8.69
December 10 3.57 8.78
Monthly Average 3.61 8.70